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Sydney Opera House, Australia and the election of
the New Seven
Wonders of the World

Only one of the ancient wonders of the
world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new
list of seven.

Among 20 locations short listed
for the worldwide vote is the The Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New
South Wales, Australia. It is one of the most distinctive
and famous 20th century buildings, and one of the most
famous performing arts venues in the world. Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, with parkland to its
south and close to the equally famous Sydney Harbour Bridge,
the building and its surroundings form an iconic Australian
image.

The Sydney Opera House, Australia will be up against sites including the Machu
Picchu in Peru; the Statue of Liberty in New York; and the
last remaining original wonder, the Pyramids of Giza in
Cairo.

An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public
was narrowed to 20 by the organizers and experts, including
the former director general of Unesco Professor Federico
Mayor.

The vote is organized by a Swiss foundation
called New7Wonders which specializes in the preservation,
restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will
be announced on July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07, in Lisbon,
Portugal, considered a neutral venue as the country has no
contending landmark of its own.

About 40 million votes have already been lodged, including
many from India, for the Taj Mahal; China, for the Great
Wall and from Peru for Machu Picchu, the fortress city of
the Incas.

The original Seven Wonders of the ancient world were
selected by Greek philosopher Philon of Byzantium more than
2,000 years ago. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is is
an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate, is still standing.
The other original seven wonders of the ancient world were
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; the Statue of Zeus at
Olympia; the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of
Alexandria.

Tia Viering, spokeswoman for New7Wonders, said: "Apart from
the Pyramids, the seven ancient wonders of the world no
longer exist."

The only criteria for the new list is that the landmarks
were built or discovered before 2000.